Every avid soccer fan dreads the odd numbered years where there will be no major soccer tournament that summer. This year they were rewarded with a great show from some of the worlds best players. Every game (unless Tahiti was involved) was intense and the players treated the Confederations Cup as if it was the World Cup. Brazil dominated a talented Spanish team 3-0. The goals were scored by up and coming star Fred who had two, and Neymar who put the game away. The Brazilians who are currently ranked 22 in the world, looked like a mirror image of the old past Brazilian teams. The Spanish team is ranked number 1 in the world. This is the third straight victory for Brazil in the Confederations Cup. No team has ever gone on to win the World Cup after winning the Confederations Cup the year before.
The soccer world watched Neymar closely, wondering how he will play when he is tested by teams like Spain, Uruguay, and others. He showed that he is the real deal and left many Barcelona fans eager for next season after the embarrassment suffered by Bayern Munich.
Another major topic of conversation are all of the transfer rumors during the Confederations Cup. There were talks that Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar is in negotiations with the English Premier League club Arsenal. Brazilian midfielder Paulihno is rumored to be a target of Tottenham. Brazilian forward Fred is being targeted by Manchester City. There is a rumor Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is being targeted by Manchester City as well. Another major transfer rumor is the movement of Edison Cavani who has many teams after him and he also showed his talents in the Confederations Cup for Italy.
The Spanish tiki-taka style of play was not on display in the Confederations Cup final. Even though they won the possession battle, they did not create many opportunities. The question for the winners of three straight major tournaments is whether to keep doing what they are doing or if it is time to change. Many could just see this as bad game by the Spaniards or they could see the decline of the dominance of the tiki-taka style of play. This was seen in the Champions League semi-final games when both German powerhouse teams (who have a similar style of play) dominated both Spanish powerhouses (who also have a similar style of play). The answer to this question will be answered in the World Cup next summer.
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